Mean Looking Armored ?
September 13, 2009
I found this bug in a web on my fence walkthrough. I have never seen anything like it. 6 Legs, “Spiky armor” down it’s back. and it’s head is like a needle. This is one mean looking bug! I don;t know weather it made the web or just got caught in it. On it’s lower-side, very back there is a red spot and it seems that it’s dripping down the web in the photos.
David
West, Lafayette, Indiana
Wheel Bug trapped in web
Hi David,
This is a predatory Wheel Bug and it is reported that the bite is quite painful. Wheel Bugs do not form webs and this individual has been trapped in a Spider’s Web.
orange beetle with triangle on thorax in an argiope’s web
September 3, 2009
Around noon today, I saw this small beetle get caught in the web of the largest Argiope aurantia spider I’ve ever seen. I live in Fort Pierce, Florida. The beetle has an orange abdomen and legs, but a yellow and black thorax and head. There is a yellow triangle pointing towards the abdomen on its thorax. What could this beetle be? I don’t think I’ve seen one before.
I’ve also included a picture of the spider, in case you want to use it on your site.
Thanks!
Gary
Fort Pierce, FL
Delta Flower Scarab in Orbweaver's web
Hi Gary,
This lovely beetle is a Delta Flower Scarab, Trigonopeltastes delta. The beetle gets its common and scientific name from the shape of the marking on the thorax that resembles the Greek letter delta. According to BugGuide: “Adults take pollen and/or nectar. (Possibly eat vegetative parts as well?) Food plants include Goldenrod (Solidago), Feverfew (Parthenium), Coneflower (Echinacea), and Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccafolium).“ Golden Orbweavers are also called Writing Spiders because of the pattern of the stabilimentum in the web that is believed to help camouflage the spider. We are quite happy to add your images and letter to our Food Chain pages.
Golden Orbweaver eats Delta Flower Scarab
Large redand yellow bee/wasp?
September 2, 2009
Would like to know the name of this bee-like bug that I found eating a dragonfly
Wondering999
Odenton, Maryland
European Hornet eats Dragonfly
Dear Wondering999,
The predator in your photo is a European Hornet, Vespa crabo, an introduced species, so we are tagging it as an Invasive Exotic. You can read about the species on BugGuide. The prey seems to resemble one of the Pilot Darners in the genus Coryphaeschna, but we are uncertain if the range is a far north as Maryland. We would love assistance with the Dragonfly ID. We didn’t have much luck on this Dragonfly of Maryland page.
What is this parasite on the cricket?
September 1, 2009
We found a wild cricket with the lump on its side. We were not sure if it was a growth or a parasite. Later I found another one and removed the lump. It appears to have legs and was attatched at only one point. The pictures show one with the parasite attatched. The other shows the underside of the parasite.
David and Deanna Brown
Clark County Indiana, in a garden.
Cricket with Parasite
Hi David and Deanna,
About a year ago, we posted a similar image and surmised that it might be a Tachinid Fly that had parasitized the cricket in question and linked to an online article on Tachinids parasitizing Crickets. Eric Eaton then provided us with this information: “Hi, Daniel: The object protruding from the deceased cricket is indeed a fly puparium (the rigid last larval ’skin’ enclosing a fly pupa). It could certainly be a tachinid fly, but there are also other flies that are parasitic on crickets, especially some members of the flesh fly family (Sarcophagidae). I’d personally be hard-pressed to identify even the adult fly once it emerges, though a dipterist (fly expert) could. Eric“ We will contact Eric Eaton to see if he agrees. The most common cricket parasite written about online is a Horsehair Worm.
Parasite taken from Cricket
Eric Eaton offers a suggestion: Rhopalosomatid Wasps
Daniel:
The cricket parasite is probably not a tachinid. See this:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/71173
Wish I had more time to expand on this, but I don’t at the moment.
Eric
Totally necessary carnage (lynx spider)
September 1, 2009
Hi! I just thought you might like to see this neat lynx spider who was devastating the fly population on my garbage can. Thanks for the site…it comes in useful for me all the time!!
Andrea
San Diego
Green Lynx eats Green Bottle Flies
Hi Andrea,
Your subject line caught our attention and made us cringe. We are thrilled to see that once we opened your email, you misidentified the term carnage. Your photo of a Green Lynx Spider feeding on Green Bottle Flies belongs in Food Chain. Unnecessary Carnage is reserved for human instigated killing of insects and other creatures. So often, Green Lynx Spiders, our favorite spider species, feed on pollinating insects. It is a refreshing change to see them feeding on pestiferous species.
Green Lynx Lunch
August 31, 2009
I know that this is a green lynx with a moth, but I thought the picture was a good one. Everyone I show it to says something like “ewwww, or thanks for the nightmares” so I thought I’d show it to someone who would appreciate it. 
I also snapped a shot of her boyfriend who was a couple leaves away from her on the rosebush.
Kelli the spider lover
San Marcos (San Diego County) CA
Green Lynx Spider eats Hairstreak Butterfly
Dear Kelli the spider lover,
The prey in your photo is actually one of the Hairstreak Butterflies and not a moth. Green Lynx Spiders do not build a web to capture prey, but rather ambush flying insects from a tall perch, like a blossom on a rose bush.
Green Lynx Spider
More on the Belzebul Robber Fly
August 20, 2009
These photos were taken today, Aug. 20th. These flies are still in our yard (first spotted on Aug. 6th), still hanging out among the crepe myrtle trees. I never did spot any fly eggs, but they certainly may be on the trees or grass. I think this is one of the robber flies with what appears to be a honeybee as prey. Sorry the photo isn’t very clear. The flies zip away if I get very close with the camera. This one flew away, prey and all. One fly is the gigantic one, and we have several that are smaller but seem to be the same species.
I read with interest the information cited about the robber flies; we don’t have any barnyards near, but we do have a creek bed behind us with tall sedges and grasses, and we are on the edge of town with extensive cow pastures/brushy areas beginning one block away. Love your website!
Ellen
Coryell County, Texas, where it is HOT and we’re in drought conditions
Bee Killer Kills Bee
Hi Ellen,
There are at least 3 different species of Bee Killers in the genus Mallophora that live in Texas, and though your previous submission was identified by us as a Belzebul Bee Eater, we believe this specimen to be a Southern Bee Killer, Mallophora orcina, based on the coloration of the beard and abdomen as depicted on BugGuide.
Follow0up
Possible Young Belzebul Bee Eater or Something Else?
August 20, 2009
I’m not sure if this is a young Belzebul Bee Eater or not. I’m sending two photos of the original gigantic Belzebul (8-6-09) and a new photo of one of the smaller flies I’m seeing around the yard (8-20-09). The eyes and antennae seem the same, but the smaller insects have yellow hair on the abdomens and not as much black hair on the legs.
I sent some photos earlier today of one of these smaller flies with honeybee prey.
I had a thought about the eggs also. Although we don’t have a compost pile or barnyard, we do have mulch in all of the gardens. We may be hatching Belzebul eggs as well as a myriad of spiders, caterpillars and beetles.
It’s summertime and the living is easy but it’s very hot. Thanks.
Ellen
Coryell County, Central Texas
Southern Bee Killer
Hi Ellen,
This confirms what we wrote back on the earlier email. We believe this is a Southern Bee Killer.
Cicada killer!!!
August 19, 2009
Thought you guys would like these cool pictures of a cicada killer (I think) attacking a cicada!!! I heard a weird buzz and saw them fighting so I ran and got my camera…enjoy!!!
Brian M
Baltimore, MD
European Hornet stings Cicada
Hi Brian,
Wow. What a fantastic action photo of a female Cicada Killer stinging a Cicada to feed her brood.
Correction
August 29, 2009
Hi, Daniel:
“Cicada killer stinging cicada” is actually a European hornet, Vespa crabro. They are large, pretty fearless predators on a variety of other insects. They will also raid bee hives for the honey, crushing worker bees in their massive jaws along the way.
Eric
We saw this bug eating a wasp. We’ve never seen one before. What is it?
August 15, 2009
We saw this bug eating a wasp. We’ve never seen one before. What is it?
Your letter to the bugman Please help us identify this ugly unusual furry bug preying on a wasp. We live in the Los Angeles area and this was in our back yard.
Sincerely, Daniel and Jill
Los Angeles, CA
Bee Killer eats Golden Paper Wasp
Dear Daniel and Jill,
The predator is a Robber Fly known as a Bee Killer, Mallophora fautrix, and the prey is a Golden Paper Wasp, Polistes aurifer.
Correction
August 15, 2009
The prey here is the European Paper Wasp, Polistes dominulus.
bugbrainz
Thanks for the correction. According to BugGuide: “no other species of Vespidae has mostly orange antennae.”
Chinese mantis feeds on carpenter bee
August 13, 2009
Hi bugman! I took these shots about a year ago and have been meaning to send them to you. I was sitting on my porch and saw some something moving in my mom’s garden. Then I went down to check it out and to my surprise there was this little guy eating a carpenter bee. I hope you like my pics. P.S. Love your site!
Alex Busato, age 10
Southwest PA
Chinese Mantid eats Carpenter Bee
Hi Alex,
Thanks for sending us your photos of a Chinese Mantid, Tenodera aridifolia sinensis, feeding on a Carpenter Bee. This is an excellent addition to our Food Chain section.
Chinese Mantid east Carpenter Bee
Big moth and black widow
August 14, 2009
My son and I had a Discovery Channel moment leaving the post office yesterday. This moth was alive, and the spider was working very hard to wrap it up. It would climb up, drop a line down, throw a couple of legs over the moth, go over to the other wing, and repeat. The moth was fluttering but losing the battle.
We couldn’t believe this was right in the middle of the sidewalk (yes, there was a brick column in the *middle* of the sidewalk) at the entrance to a busy post office in the middle of the day!
I was going to take video but could only manage a quick cell phone photo before a well-meaning man came up and stomped the spider.
I think this is a real black widow, but I’m having trouble positively identifying the moth. We see them all the time here in Georgia – as the summer progresses, the moths get bigger.
Can you help?
Patty and Gabriel
Powder Springs, Georgia
Black Widow captures Regal Moth
Hi Patty and Gabriel,
We are sorry to hear that this shy and retiring, though poisonous Black Widow was stomped before getting to enjoy its gargantuan meal. The moth is a very bedraggled Regal Moth or Royal Walnut Moth. Its appearance indicates that it was already at the end of its short adult life. Regal Moths do not feed as adults, and only fly long enough to mate and lay eggs, and possibly, like this specimen, provide a nutritious meal to a lucky predator.
Yet another cicada killer
August 12, 2009
My technique for getting interesting photos is to NEVER leave the house without a camera slung around my neck. I don’t always get excellent results, but at least I do get a lot of shots.
This cicada killer was buzzing around the neighborhood and I was able to follow it to a garage with a ladder conveniently close by that let me follow it into the gutter….
Pat
southwest lower michigan
Cicada Killer with prey
Hi Pat,
Because the Cicada prey weighs so much more than the Cicada Killer predator, the Cicada Killer often cannot take off from the ground to fly back to her burrow, so she climbs to a high spot and glides in the direction of her burrow. We suspect that is the reason you captured this photo in the gutter. Your documentation of a Cicada Killer and her prey is quite a score. Thanks for sending it to our site. We would much rather post photos of living insects than dead ones.
